PrimeTime Women by Marti Barletta

"With wit and wisdom, Barletta has pulled off the seemingly impossible: made the prospect of becoming an 'older' woman sound like fun. Marketers, take note: a horde of Prime Time Babes, with passion, power, and bulging pocketbooks, is heading your way." — Linda Tischler, Senior Writer, Fast Company

You'll be reading scores more enthusiastic reviews of Marti Barletta's PrimeTime Women: How to Win the Hearts, Minds, and Business of Boomer Big Spenders over the next few months. They'll equal or surpass the ones for her seminal tome Marketing to Women.

Let me first sneak this in: Two and a half years ago, when I signed a contract to write Advertising to Baby Boomers, I froze for a few days. Do I approach this using my 'voice' - the one I've been writing with for most of my adult life - or do I put on a three-piece suit (not that I own one) and attack it as if it were your generic, staid, compose-by-numbers business book? Luckily for me, I had just bought Marketing to Women - and Ms. Barletta's casual, accessible 'voice' seduced me - freeing me to write in my own voice. Thanks, Marti.

PrimeTime Women is a breeze to read. It's like sitting around with Ms. Barletta, chatting. And in the room are dozens of fascinating, ready-to-rumble women, chiming in every so often.

The overarching theme of PrimeTime Women really isn't the money they control - it's the fact that they are taking control of their lives. This is a phenomenon unique to Baby Boomers (and a bit older). After fifty is better than before fifty. There has always been a small percentage of women who bloomed in their later years. For Boomers it's become a generational ethos.

I've talked about this in my book (and there's more about it in the 2nd Edition - due out in a few months), in my blog, in articles. So have others. But Ms. Barletta elegantly unpacks this sociological phenomenon. She's done it better than any of us. As far as the 'phenomenon' - personally, I love it. Part of the legacy of Baby Boomer women will be passing on this ethos to younger generations.

From the wonderful world of advertising, a good example of this is the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. I've blogged about it. Ms. Barletta dives into it and shows you how and why it works.

The second part of the book is nuts 'n bolts. I was swept away by many of her "word-of-mouth" marketing paradigms. She eschews the cheesy WOM tactics so often used today in favor of real, truly inspired marketing/PR/promotional techniques.

There are hundreds of great quotes in PrimeTime Women (read it with your yellow highlighter handy) - but if I had to pick my favorite:

PrimeTimers are not compelled to make social statements by their brand choices, and PrimeTime Women are no longer controlled by the need to have perfect looks and perfect behavior … Looking for the long-submerged "secret self" is also about listening to one's own counsel rather than listening to others. PrimeTimers are more individuated, more autonomous, and less influenced by peers and celebrity endorsements.

The takeaway for me: I learned a ton, enjoyed the experience of hanging around a bunch of intelligent, creative, energetic, forward-thinking women. Even a few creative sparks went off as I read - ad concepts for my clients.

I can honestly say that from cover to cover, I agree with ninety-five percent of what's in PrimeTime Women. And that's quite amazing if you think about it. What book do you agree with one-hundred percent, believe that it's one-hundred percent true? (Jerry Falwell, don't answer that.)

Marti Barletta, DDB, and all the PrimeTimer contributors: Thanks for this book.

BoomerGirl.com

Here's a group email I sent out to my media/marketing/advertising friends:

Hi Folks,

After making a bunch of snotty predictions in my blog yesterday, it seems as if one of them has come true. I found an article about a web site -- and the web site knocked me out:

http://boomergirl.com/

And most of you know how much I disdain most web sites for Baby Boomers.

It looks pretty good, is easy to navigate, has quirky, interesting graphics and articles. For some reason, I'm having problems playing the videos.

It's a web site with a personality. Yeah, the lead articles are standard fare topic-wise - but dig deeper into the collection of articles/blogs.

Remember, it just went up a few days ago - so we'll see where it goes from here.

The article: http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/section/local/story/10138

And for the sharks out there - even though you smell blood, this isn't an invitation to circle. The person behind it all is a marketing exec for a newspaper company - so she probably has big, razor-sharp teeth of her own.

Tell me what you think.

Chuck

---

And Dick Stroud has already blogged about BoomerGirl.com. (But that's not fair, since he's in England - eight hours ahead of me.)

Watch a video about BoomerGirl.com

Predictions for 2007

Three prophesies from NostraChuckus.

One: Media will take seriously the need for relevant content that will appeal to people over forty-five. It's the end for boring, generic magazines and nothing sites.

Marc Middleton's Active Living Network is primed for big changes and tons of content - stories, videos, interviews and more. I know about some of the offerings. The new site should be up in February or March.

And we're still waiting for Mindy Herman's MyTime.com.

Here's an article about More Magazine. What interested me was this:

At 52, (Peggy) Northrop is a spot-on spokesmodel for More … She calls herself a "late bloomer," even though her high-powered resume suggests otherwise. "I blossomed after 40," she says. "Until then, I was diffident about my career …"

This is getting to be a typical story - a woman hits her stride after forty. No surprise to me. Look for them and hire them.

Grand Magazine is also in transition. Within a year it will become a top Baby Boomer life-style magazine:

Christine Crosby, founder and editorial director of Grand, says the magazine began two years ago as "an effort to speak to baby boomer grandparents like regular people." ... Boomers, she says, are impatient with ageism and stereotypical ideas about grandparents. The magazine's readers see grandparenting as "exciting new territory" and want help navigating it.

I blogged about GeezerJock - it seems like years ago. It's still going strong.

But it ain't all brawn, because ...

Two: Get Ready for lots more Brain Games. I've written about these before - but Brent Green really has a handle on the industry.

An editorial in the New York Times:

If you're worried that your mental powers will decline as you age, a new study offers hope that a relatively brief flurry of brain exercises can slow the mind's deterioration.

An article originally in the New York Times:

Science is not sure yet, but across the United States brain health programs are springing up, offering the possibility of a cognitive fountain of youth … From "brain gyms" on the Internet to "brain-healthy" foods and activities at assisted living centers, the programs are aimed at baby boomers anxious about entering their golden years and at their parents trying to stave off memory loss or dementia.

Also check out the new blog Brain Boomers.

Three: The Death of Flogs. I blogged about flogs recently.

And don't even ask. Of course (!!!) I'd be more than delighted to blog about Vista and how great it will be for Baby Boomers.

So where's my shiny new laptop? (Actually, I'd prefer a desktop.) I'm not too far from the Microsoft Campus. I could swing by, roll down the window, and you could just toss it in my car.

Can I get it with Office 2007? The Professional Plus Edition?

Wrapping Up The Year

with a few odds and ends...

Those cheapskate, selfish Baby Boomers are at it again. Or are they simply fiscally irresponsible? Or both?

U.S. baby boomers seen donating $100 bln this year
U.S. baby boomers are expected to give roughly $100 billion to charity this year, marking a 25 percent increase from 2005, a study released on Thursday shows.

A few same old, same olds:

Baby Boomers Say TV Ads Neglect Them
The finding is especially significant because a majority of boomers surveyed--58%--say TV is their primary source of information about new products and services … Boomers surveyed … placed a high premium on humor, with 91% praising funny advertising, and actors who look like them. Fifty-one percent said they identify more with people in their age group. Tanya Giles, senior vice president, research and planning for TV Land, says … "Savvy marketers would do very well to court these consumers."

And…

Boomers Break the Mold
Many marketers and advertisers are ignoring the largest and potentially the most productive consumer group in the U.S. - Baby Boomers (40-59 year-olds) - The 82 million Baby Boomers currently make up 39% of the population … it's clear that Baby Boomers are just as likely as Millennials and Gen Xers to purchase and use many advanced technologies … Baby Boomers are more likely than others groups to be absorbed in different forms of media and can be reached through a variety of advertising efforts.

And (yawn)…

52% of Grandparents and 68% of Baby Boomers Want Tech Products for the Holidays

All information in articles of mine from three and four years ago, in my book written two years ago, in this blog over the last year and a half. Information heralded as new insights.

I'm getting drowsy. Any more exciting new insights and I'll fall asleep before my nap.

Here's something I missed, however - tipped off by a post at Aging Hipsters:

Psychological Neoteny
In a recent issue of Medical Hypotheses, (Dr. Bruce) Charlton argues that unlike previous, more settled societies that could afford to honor a narrow and well-defined worldview (that is, a "mature" one), modern life is tumultuous and ever-changing. Accordingly, it rewards those who retain a certain plasticity of mind and personality. "In a psychological sense, some contemporary individuals never actually become adults," he writes … Furthermore, he argues, social roles have become less fixed in modern society. We are expected to adapt to change throughout our lives, both in our personal relationships and in our careers, and immaturity, as Charlton added, is "especially helpful in making the best out of enforced job changes, the need for geographic mobility and the requirement to make new social networks." In fact, he speculates, the ability to retain youthful qualities, now often seen as folly, may someday be recognized as a prized trait.

Sounds like what everybody says about Baby Boomers, doesn't it? How immature we all are. We never grew up. This may or may not be true - but if true, it's obviously for good reasons.

Which reminds me of the big catch phrase of the year: 50 is the new 30, and/or 60 is the new 40, or some rubbish like that. Again, I talk about this at length in my book (before the phrase became popular), saying something along these lines: Baby Boomers do not think they are still in their twenties or thirties. They are redefining the ages they are.

And I'm not happy that someone put it better than I did (or at least more memorably and succinctly) — No, 60 isn't the new 40:

"60 is the new 60." - Gail Sheehy

One Baby Boomer blogging. Reminds me of what I just wrote and sent to my publishers for the 2nd Edition of the book. I talk about how so many sites that try to lure Boomers are rather vapid, empty.

Two things I never thought would turn me on: a cooking show and the postings of a Flack. A PR Blog that's sarcastic, intelligent, sexy, funny.

Gift giving? Here's the new Baby Boomer Donkey Kong - although I bet this game is better.

Happy Holidays. Two interesting marketing tomes are on their way to me, so expect book reviews in the New Year.

AARP/History Channel's Our Generation: Toys of a Generation

Our Generation: Toys of a Generation

Airs on Friday December 22 12:00 PM, 6:00 PM

The Boomer Generation was the first generation to be actively marketed to as children. In the 1950's, canny advertisers used television to reach young boomers and entice them with a generation's worth of seemingly irresistible toys. Today, many of these toys are classics. Our resident historian Steve Gillon hosts.

I'm a talking head on this one. Should be a fun show. An earlier post about it.

The series has been very good so far. Shows on Kent State, MLK, The Sexual Revolution, Duck & Cover (with a fascinating tour of the big 'bunker' at Greenbrier), The Mustang, The Apollo Mission. The 13-part series is about midpoint with the one I'm on.

Visit the Our Generation web site.